The First Step in Building Your Art Licensing BrandAuthor: Lance Klass | Posted: 22. February 2011

You may find this hard to believe, but most of the artwork that’s sent to me for review could have been painted by anyone. If the art hadn’t come in a package or attached to an email from a particular artist, I wouldn’t have a clue who the artist was who created the images that I’m looking at.

Strange? Actually, it’s extremely common. You see, many artists just plain forget to sign their works. Sometimes they’re in a big rush to get the work finished and send it out. Other times artists are reluctant to sign work that they plan to present to manufacturers for commercial use. I’ve been to lots of art shows, and even there, I find lots of paintings that have no name on them. It’s almost as if the artist doesn’t want to have his or her name intrude on an image that will become part of the buyer’s home décor. Or that if an image is going to appear on a product, then having their name in the image will lessen the appeal of the final product. Let’s throw those ideas out the window right now.

If you want to make your name known in art licensing so that manufacturers and consumers recognize your work by name and know who to come to for more, then it’s time to learn how and where to sign your work.

Some well-known artists like Mary Engelbreit and Debbie Mumm have very cute and engaging hand-painted logo’s that they’ll use on each image. Their names are clear, colors are bright, and everything fits in a small rectangle that’s attractive and adds to the presentation. You can try this route if you like and if you’re able to create a pretty piece of graphic art, but it isn’t necessary and most successfully-licensed artists don’t do it. A simple signature is sufficient.

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About Kate

I am a designer who lives in Berkeley California who has worked in the greeting card and gift industry for over 20 years. I like to create things that make people laugh. For more information on licensing my art, visit my website.